A muddy walk along Lake Ågvatnet, with chains to assist on the steeper parts. The trail goes over Stokkvikskaret Pass to Stokkvikvatnet, and finally onto Stokkvika village.

According to my trusty guidebook, this is a popular Lofoten Islands walk on a (mostly) good track… maybe we were there at the wrong time of year: I’d describe it more as long sections of deep mud connected by a vague path. We saw no-one on the track. Although it was still an enjoyable afternoon.

The hike is near the village of Å, at the very southern end of the Lofoten archipelago and a 20min drive from our accommodation in Reine. Leaving our car at the almost-empty carpark we quickly find the fish drying racks, although there are no fish at this time of year (the racks would be full in March/April). The path is already soggy here as we walk through the drying racks and head towards the lake (Ågvatnet), trying to avoid the worst puddles.

The track is not always well-marked, but as it follows the lake we can’t really go wrong. It’s very muddy and it doesn’t take long before we give up trying to avoid the mud, and just walk through it. There’s a few moments where I think the mud may have claimed one of Luke’s shoes that is sucked from his foot, but we manage to recover it!

There’s also a few sections where chains are used to help traverse steep sections, which is good fun.

It’s pretty slow going. After about an hour we pass a small hut that’s by the shore of Lake Ågvatnet, and on the opposite side we see a few fisherman’s huts. After another half an hour the end of the lake is in sight, but it’s getting late in the day and Luke has had enough mud.

The track continues further along the lake and then climbs up to the Stokkvikskaret Pass (and onto the town of Stokkvika on the other side of the ridge). There’s also some low mist, so the view from the ridge wouldn’t be great. We call it a day, and head back along the lake.

Despite the mist, the setting sun glows behind Lake Ågvatnet and the surrounding mountains as we squelch our way back to the car…

Location

Near large carpark in the village of Å (southern end of Lofoten archipelago, at the end of E10 highway). Look for fish drying racks.